2023 Fall Sociology Applications - Support, Advice, Results, Etc

[patverd]

Hello everyone, since we are probably all in the same stage of choosing a good place to spend at 6 least years of our lives, maybe we can share some info on what would count as good acceptance offer.

Is 24k-30k the norm in yearly stipend? How much are the best offers? How much TAing is required in your offers? 

If you can, please share some info on this.

Rice for example offers 32,000 with only having to TA for 2 semesters, i this that's a very competitive offer considering Houston is not very expensive to live in.

[ohnoherewegoagain]

13 hours ago, patverd said:

Hello everyone, since we are probably all in the same stage of choosing a good place to spend at 6 least years of our lives, maybe we can share some info on what would count as good acceptance offer.

Is 24k-30k the norm in yearly stipend? How much are the best offers? How much TAing is required in your offers? 

If you can, please share some info on this.

Rice for example offers 32,000 with only having to TA for 2 semesters, i this that's a very competitive offer considering Houston is not very expensive to live in.

 

 

it very much depends on the university/department and the cost of living in the area. i have never lived in texas, but 32k from rice sounds very generous, especially since you would only need to ta for two semesters. what i have seen that is most common is someone either ta'ing for the entire 20 hours a week (aka, that being all they do) or ta'ing 15 hours a week + 5 hours allocated to departmental duties. besides ta'ing, being a research assistant is very popular as well (and those positions are usually for individuals who have already completed research with a professor or who have been in constant contact with one throughout their admissions process).

i say it depends on university/department because it really does. it also depends on the applicant. for example, some outstanding people get summer fellowships in their packages which allow them to make money during the summer, thus increasing their stipend overall. it also depends on what things departments will waive or subsidize. it's a very complicated topic so i'm sorry if this didn't help, haha.

[Poor.hungry.Depressed]

Hope everyone is doing well, and that your decisions are going well!

Just sharing - if anyone is in the same boat, would love to talk!

I have had my visit with the one program I was offered admission. I like the program, and it seems like a good place where the faculty actually care about the students, and it's not a hyper competitive or toxic environment (which some programs seem to be, and is something I want to avoid). The offer is fully funded, covers tuition, offers health insurance, and a stipend to go with the TAship; It is a competitive TAship, and I was nominated and selected for an additional fellowship that brings my stipend to a total of ~35k a year for five years, which is fantastic and means I probably won't need loans due to the reasonable cost of living in the area, especially as there are also summer opportunities which include more funding (even a chance to teach a couple courses abroad during the summer, which pays a TON of money - almost 30k for just one summer (~3 months) of teaching abroad, with your flights, room, and board covered!). So, overall, this offer is great from a financial perspective, which is really important to me, as I don't want to accrue any debt from my PhD. However, the program is not super well ranked currently, although it is an R1 and they have introduced some significant (and good) changes to the program in the last two years, including a new DGS, hiring more FT, Tenure/TT faculty, and are striving to raise their ranking. But I am a bit apprehensive, as the department is very strong in the crim area, but less strong in the area I am actually interested in (med soc), with only a few potential advisors. So, I am very conflicted, especially as my dream/goal is to work in academia as a professor - at an R1 would be awesome, but I guess is not necessary, particularly as I enjoy teaching smaller classes where you can really get to know students, even if they aren't majoring in your department.

I am currently waitlisted at two programs, one being a T20, and another that is still much more highly ranked than my current offer, although not a T20 or anything. I'm anxious to see if I am to get off the waitlist at either, as I would like to have those options to weigh, although I'm certain the funding would not be as good as my current offer. I do believe that if I take my current offer and decide to reapply in the first or second year (if the fit just doesn't seem to work out, etc.), that I would have support from the program/DGS, but this is not an ideal path, of course.

Overall, I'm still waiting on those waitlists, anxious, and conflicted. Wishing everyone here luck in the coming month, with decisions yet to come, waitlists, and making your own decisions!

Edited March 13, 2023 by Poor.hungry.Depressed

[ohnoherewegoagain]

5 hours ago, Poor.hungry.Depressed said:

Hope everyone is doing well, and that your decisions are going well!

Just sharing - if anyone is in the same boat, would love to talk!

I have had my visit with the one program I was offered admission. I like the program, and it seems like a good place where the faculty actually care about the students, and it's not a hyper competitive or toxic environment (which some programs seem to be, and is something I want to avoid). The offer is fully funded, covers tuition, offers health insurance, and a stipend to go with the TAship; It is a competitive TAship, and I was nominated and selected for an additional fellowship that brings my stipend to a total of ~35k a year for five years, which is fantastic and means I probably won't need loans due to the reasonable cost of living in the area, especially as there are also summer opportunities which include more funding (even a chance to teach a couple courses abroad during the summer, which pays a TON of money - almost 30k for just one summer (~3 months) of teaching abroad, with your flights, room, and board covered!). So, overall, this offer is great from a financial perspective, which is really important to me, as I don't want to accrue any debt from my PhD. However, the program is not super well ranked currently, although it is an R1 and they have introduced some significant (and good) changes to the program in the last two years, including a new DGS, hiring more FT, Tenure/TT faculty, and are striving to raise their ranking. But I am a bit apprehensive, as the department is very strong in the crim area, but less strong in the area I am actually interested in (med soc), with only a few potential advisors. So, I am very conflicted, especially as my dream/goal is to work in academia as a professor - at an R1 would be awesome, but I guess is not necessary, particularly as I enjoy teaching smaller classes where you can really get to know students, even if they aren't majoring in your department.

I am currently waitlisted at two programs, one being a T20, and another that is still much more highly ranked than my current offer, although not a T20 or anything. I'm anxious to see if I am to get off the waitlist at either, as I would like to have those options to weigh, although I'm certain the funding would not be as good as my current offer. I do believe that if I take my current offer and decide to reapply in the first or second year (if the fit just doesn't seem to work out, etc.), that I would have support from the program/DGS, but this is not an ideal path, of course.

Overall, I'm still waiting on those waitlists, anxious, and conflicted. Wishing everyone here luck in the coming month, with decisions yet to come, waitlists, and making your own decisions!

i’m also a med soc applicant and am sort of in the same boat, so if you want to talk just message me!

[lobster_pancakes]

On 3/11/2023 at 10:25 PM, patverd said:

Hello everyone, since we are probably all in the same stage of choosing a good place to spend at 6 least years of our lives, maybe we can share some info on what would count as good acceptance offer.

Is 24k-30k the norm in yearly stipend? How much are the best offers? How much TAing is required in your offers? 

If you can, please share some info on this.

Rice for example offers 32,000 with only having to TA for 2 semesters, i this that's a very competitive offer considering Houston is not very expensive to live in.

 

 

Considering stipends relative to the local cost of living my best offers are:

$35k/yr at WUSTL: 6-year funding, no TA/RA service required in any year. summer is included in the package. You are required to RA in your 1st year and TA in your 2nd (and optionally, your 3rd year), but it's part of your PhD coursework and not tied to funding.

$37k/yr at Northwestern: 5-year funding that can be transferred to the 6th year if you get external fellowships, qualifying RA-ships, or qualifying TA-ships in another department during your time. summer is included in the package. no service required in 1st year, 5th year and summers, but TAships are the default mode of funding in years 2,3 and 4. I say "default" because you can get out of TA-ing if you get a qualifying RAship or fellowship.

 

[sugarplz]

Hey all, saw several rejection posts from CUNY sociology programs recently. I am wondering if you were on the waitlist before or directly received the notifications. Thanks!! I am currently on the waitlists for several schools, and CUNY is one of them. Nervous about this waiting game...

[socching]

Anyone heard anything from JHU? Have seen some posts on their offer/wl/rej, but i didn't heard anything back yet. 

[flyingggggg]

Hi  , is anyone holding the offer from the University of Arizona but going to decline it? I am on the waiting list and anxiously awaiting an extended offer...   : (  Maybe we can talk about that.

[lorenzen]

On 3/13/2023 at 5:58 PM, ohnoherewegoagain said:

i’m also a med soc applicant and am sort of in the same boat, so if you want to talk just message me!

You've got mail!

[zh_awk]

On 3/8/2023 at 5:38 PM, ThanksgivingScooby said:

I (and one or two others it seems) emailed the program and received our rejections that way. You may want to do the same?

Hey! Do you remember how long it took for you to hear back from UPenn when you emailed the program for an update? I'm curious as I still haven't gotten a response, and I emailed them nearly 2 weeks ago. I'm in agony waiting ugh this dragging of feet is driving me insane!

[ThanksgivingScooby]

On 3/21/2023 at 8:49 AM, zh_awk said:

Hey! Do you remember how long it took for you to hear back from UPenn when you emailed the program for an update? I'm curious as I still haven't gotten a response, and I emailed them nearly 2 weeks ago. I'm in agony waiting ugh this dragging of feet is driving me insane!

I got a response in a few hours, maybe try bumping the email.

[hamianghm]

Hi, 
I have just been admitted to one master's program after being rejected to many PhD programs. I am planning on applying next cycle for PhD also but I realize most of the deadlines would be around early December and I have so many questions. 

1. I have invested so much on my current writing sample which costs me one year to finish. If I applying next cycle, I would need a new writing sample. I am wondering during 2-3 months in the master's program, how can I pull off a better writing sample? 
2. Knowing the deadlines for most programa are in early December, will my MA transcript be available for my application?
3. My GRE scores right now is 320 but I want to improve it, should I study and retake the GRE before I attend master's program? 

4. How can I improve my publications and CV under such short amount of time? 

For those who have been applying for multiple cycles and from MA program, how did you manage it, what advices would you give, what do you wish you knew? I am collecting any pieces of advices possible. 

Thank you so so much.

[zh_awk]

35 minutes ago, ThanksgivingScooby said:

I got a response in a few hours, maybe try bumping the email.

Thanks for the suggestion! Was it the graduate coordinator who you emailed, or someone else? Just making sure I'm directing this follow-up email to the right place, in case I got it wrong the first time around!

[lkaitlyn]

On 3/22/2023 at 2:43 PM, hamianghm said:

Hi, 
I have just been admitted to one master's program after being rejected to many PhD programs. I am planning on applying next cycle for PhD also but I realize most of the deadlines would be around early December and I have so many questions. 

1. I have invested so much on my current writing sample which costs me one year to finish. If I applying next cycle, I would need a new writing sample. I am wondering during 2-3 months in the master's program, how can I pull off a better writing sample? 
2. Knowing the deadlines for most programa are in early December, will my MA transcript be available for my application?
3. My GRE scores right now is 320 but I want to improve it, should I study and retake the GRE before I attend master's program? 

4. How can I improve my publications and CV under such short amount of time? 

For those who have been applying for multiple cycles and from MA program, how did you manage it, what advices would you give, what do you wish you knew? I am collecting any pieces of advices possible. 

Thank you so so much.

1. You only need a new writing sample if you think the old one was weak. If you don't have any new research in the works, I doubt you'll be able to have someone new and high quality so soon, so you might want to stick with what you had or maybe edit what you had more, ideally with the help of mentors in the field (professors). Make sure that you're demonstrating your ability to do sociological research.

2. Probably not, but you'll send it when it's available, just like college seniors send their semester grades after applying. It normally won't matter much unless you do poorly, or if your undergrad record was weak, in which case I'd recommend waiting a year to apply so you can show them a longer track record of academic success.

3. Not sure how your scores break down but if it's close to 160/160 (e.g., one of them is 157 or something), I'm not sure retaking this is a good use of your time, especially since most programs don't even require the GRE anymore.

4. Unless something has drastically changed in the last 2-3 years, most applicants to sociology PhD programs don't have publications, and if they do, it's generally not as a first author and in a lower-tier journal or an undergrad journal, so I wouldn't stress about that. If you have something you've been working on, see if you can submit to a conference. A lot of smaller regional conferences have fall and winter meetings with open submission deadlines right now. Also make sure you're getting research experience. In your MA program, that should happen naturally, but if you don't have anything else to do this summer while you're waiting, maybe get a research internship or help out a professor with a project of theirs!

I think forcing yourself to apply too soon is indeed quite limiting, as your questions indicate. I don't know the circumstances of your current application or situation, but if there were weaknesses and this wasn't just a fit issue (it may just be that you didn't apply to programs that were really good fits with your goals), you might want to wait to apply. That way, you can build strong relationships with new LOR writers at your MA institution (you'll want at least 1 to be from your MA institution even if you apply this year), work on a new writing sample, and expand the research experience on your CV. You'll also have an MA thesis to talk about in your application!

Oh, and if you developed any good relationships with professors at the schools you applied to, perhaps gently reach out to that person and ask if they have any feedback for what you can do to strengthen your application for the future. I'd only do this if you've developed a personal relationship, though — don't just cold email admissions.

And as a related aside, if you didn't develop any type of connection with professors, you might want to try that this time around; email a professor in each program in July/August with a personalized email about why you're interested in their research, a sentence or two about your work, etc., say you're interested in applying, and ask if they have time to talk about what they're currently working on. You'd be surprised at how many respond if you keep the email short, professional, and personalized. Even if they have no say over admissions, talking to them will help you be more specific in your SOPs about why that school is a good match for you and your research. And who knows? Maybe you'll work with them! (The person who I reached out to from the school I'm now at is still my advisor 3 years in!)

[hamianghm]

3 hours ago, lkaitlyn said:

1. You only need a new writing sample if you think the old one was weak. If you don't have any new research in the works, I doubt you'll be able to have someone new and high quality so soon, so you might want to stick with what you had or maybe edit what you had more, ideally with the help of mentors in the field (professors). Make sure that you're demonstrating your ability to do sociological research.

2. Probably not, but you'll send it when it's available, just like college seniors send their semester grades after applying. It normally won't matter much unless you do poorly, or if your undergrad record was weak, in which case I'd recommend waiting a year to apply so you can show them a longer track record of academic success.

3. Not sure how your scores break down but if it's close to 160/160 (e.g., one of them is 157 or something), I'm not sure retaking this is a good use of your time, especially since most programs don't even require the GRE anymore.

4. Unless something has drastically changed in the last 2-3 years, most applicants to sociology PhD programs don't have publications, and if they do, it's generally not as a first author and in a lower-tier journal or an undergrad journal, so I wouldn't stress about that. If you have something you've been working on, see if you can submit to a conference. A lot of smaller regional conferences have fall and winter meetings with open submission deadlines right now. Also make sure you're getting research experience. In your MA program, that should happen naturally, but if you don't have anything else to do this summer while you're waiting, maybe get a research internship or help out a professor with a project of theirs!

I think forcing yourself to apply too soon is indeed quite limiting, as your questions indicate. I don't know the circumstances of your current application or situation, but if there were weaknesses and this wasn't just a fit issue (it may just be that you didn't apply to programs that were really good fits with your goals), you might want to wait to apply. That way, you can build strong relationships with new LOR writers at your MA institution (you'll want at least 1 to be from your MA institution even if you apply this year), work on a new writing sample, and expand the research experience on your CV. You'll also have an MA thesis to talk about in your application!

Oh, and if you developed any good relationships with professors at the schools you applied to, perhaps gently reach out to that person and ask if they have any feedback for what you can do to strengthen your application for the future. I'd only do this if you've developed a personal relationship, though — don't just cold email admissions.

And as a related aside, if you didn't develop any type of connection with professors, you might want to try that this time around; email a professor in each program in July/August with a personalized email about why you're interested in their research, a sentence or two about your work, etc., say you're interested in applying, and ask if they have time to talk about what they're currently working on. You'd be surprised at how many respond if you keep the email short, professional, and personalized. Even if they have no say over admissions, talking to them will help you be more specific in your SOPs about why that school is a good match for you and your research. And who knows? Maybe you'll work with them! (The person who I reached out to from the school I'm now at is still my advisor 3 years in!)

Thank you so so much!! I'll take in every bit of your advice. Thank you for your dedicated and detail response!

[cdistrict]

Hi! Does anyone have advice/helpful information for being on a waitlist? I've seen a lot of waitlist posts on the results forum so I imagine a lot of people are in a similar boat. Not sure if there is anything to do/a way to realistically evaluate the situation.

[ohnoherewegoagain]

5 hours ago, cdistrict said:

Hi! Does anyone have advice/helpful information for being on a waitlist? I've seen a lot of waitlist posts on the results forum so I imagine a lot of people are in a similar boat. Not sure if there is anything to do/a way to realistically evaluate the situation.

in my opinion, the best thing to do is if you have an offer from somewhere you genuinely would like to go, be prepared to accept that offer. around this time is when people start dwindling down their final decision to 1-2 places. many programs will not get back to most waitlisted candidates until after the april 15th commitment deadline, but some may begin using it earlier. it's just a (miserable) waiting game.

[shadesofblue]

Not sure how many folks are still following this thread (congrats to everyone who got in this cycle! I'm wishing you the best!), but has anyone heard anything from UCSC..? It's almost April 🙃

[hamianghm]

6 minutes ago, Jeff_targettestprep said:

Regarding your GRE score, do you have an idea of the average scores at your desired PhD prgrams? Whether you retake should be based off those average scores. 

Ye, the average GRE for my desired program is 328, so I am confused

[ABC_123_]

.

Edited April 3, 2023 by ABC_123_

[zh_awk]

On 3/8/2023 at 11:53 AM, Louise_B said:

Hi, I’m wondering if anyone who received a Brandeis offer does not plan on accepting it? I am the waitlist from the results page (also auto-fill on my phone typed admittance rather than admissions so please ignore that mistake lol). If you could let me know whenever you get the chance I really would appreciate it! Thanks so much!!

I was given an offer off of the waitlist myself but just turned it down, after receiving an offer from my top choice this morning! Best of luck to you!

[youcandothis]

Anyone got into ualbany & UConn and is yet to decline the offers?

I am still on their waitlists >_<

[ohnoherewegoagain]

17 hours ago, Albanyfundingplease said:

Anyone got into ualbany & UConn and is yet to decline the offers?

I am still on their waitlists >_<

i just formally declined my offer from UAlbany, so i'm wishing you all the luck!

[youcandothis]

On 4/5/2023 at 2:09 AM, ohnoherewegoagain said:

i just formally declined my offer from UAlbany, so i'm wishing you all the luck!

Oh hey, thank you for letting me know. I wish you a great time working and enjoying life at whichever university of your choice!

[blueberrymuffin123]

Hi all, please decline all offers for schools that you do not intend on going to. With the April 15th deadline coming up, people are hoping to receive notifications from waitlists and do not want to have to say yes to one institution in order to say no after April 15th when they get their waitlist notice. It is the respectful thing to do in order for others to begin to plan their move and their life. It doesn't benefit anyone to hold onto your offers until August. In particular, if anyone has been accepted into Texas A&M University, please decline if you're not planning on going! It would greatly be appreciated :)